14. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007, Andrew Dominik)
A western of dark and complex substance and a meditation on the cult of celebrity and the world of obsessive fandom all wrapped up in the Western milieu, albeit with a very art film sensibility. The film is completely stunning to look at, supreme cinematographer Roger Deakins was robbed of an Oscar for his work on this. Brad Pitt is riveting as Jesse James, a scarily good performance from the often irritating screen presence who yet again proves that is best when playing psychologically disturbed nut jobs. Casey Affleck, however, is stand out as the creepy Robert Ford. If you like McCabe and Mrs. Miller or John Hillcoat’s The Proposition then this is for you.
13. The Dark Knight (2008, Christopher Nolan)
In a time of bad summer popcorn blockbuster films, The Dark Knight shows a high quality standard of filmmaking with substance, instead of being a shallow action movie with flat characters and crummy dialogue. The Dark Knight is fresh, exciting and intelligent entertainment. While it is definitely made on studio money, it isn’t the type of superhero movie a studio would normally market and for them to take this type of risk is great as it will set a high standard for superhero films in the future. It is by far the most ambitious and best comic book film ever made.
12. Zodiac (2007, David Fincher)
David Fincher is a man who is meticulous in his direction and shooting style. We hear all kinds of stories about how he’ll shoot 20 or so takes for simple inserts, but boy does it make a film so much more. In the case of Zodiac, the devil is in the detail and the success of this alternative serial killer drama lies in that. The film is apparently incredibly close to the details of the actual case. That never gets in the way though, it is instead interwoven intelligently into the drama. Greatly underrated and savagely ignored by the awards circles, this is one of Fincher’s best works. Continue reading on the next page…
